| (a) The office may award grant funds for actual and
reasonable costs paid or incurred by an eligible applicant to remove
and replace a pole in an unserved area.
(b) An applicant is eligible to apply to the office
for a reimbursement award under this subchapter if the applicant:
(1) is a pole owner or a provider of qualifying broadband
service;
(2) pays or incurs eligible pole replacement costs
of removing and replacing an existing pole in an unserved area for
the purpose of accommodating the attachment of an eligible broadband
facility; and
(3) otherwise meets eligibility criteria in a NOFA
published under §16.3 of this subchapter.
(c) Eligible costs include the amount of any expenditures
to remove and dispose of the existing pole, purchase and install a
replacement pole, and transfer any existing facilities to the new
pole.
(d) Costs that an applicant incurs that have been or
will be reimbursed to the applicant by another party ultimately responsible
for the costs are not eligible for reimbursement under this subchapter.
(e) An award under this subchapter may not exceed:
(1) The lesser of 50% of the eligible pole replacement
costs paid or incurred by the applicant or $5,000, whichever is less,
for the pole replaced; plus
(2) the documented and reasonable administrative expenses
incurred by the applicant in preparing and submitting the reimbursement
application.
(f) The amount reimbursed under subsection (e)(2) of
this section may not exceed 5.0% of the eligible pole replacement
costs in the application.
|
